Chris Davis Jr. says UCF in the lead after Knights make offer

Davis threw for a touchdown and rushed for another in the win (5-17-13).

Davis threw for a touchdown and rushed for another in the win (5-17-13).

Chris Hays | Florida RecruitingOrlando Sentinel

Oviedo quarterback/athlete Chris Davis Jr., picked up his 10thNCAA Football Bowl Subdivision scholarship offer on Monday, and it’s one he’s been waiting for.

Hometown UCF finally pulled the trigger and the 6-foot, 180-pound Davis, who will play receiver in college, was elated and immediately said the Knights are his leader.

"Yes, I would call them my leading team," Davis said Monday night. "It feels good. I wanted them to offer me because it’s right around the corner from my house. It was on my mind all day.”

Oviedo coach Wes Allen dropped a hint to his prize QB Monday morning that an offer might be impending.

“Coach Allen texted me this morning and asked me if I would consider going to UCF and I said, 'Yes,' ” Davis said. “After that I had it on my mind all day, and then he finally let me know that they offered me.

“I’m really excited and happy and I told my parents right after it happened. They were like, ‘That’s good. We know you’ve wanted to go to that school.’ ”

Many Orlando-area prospects have received offers from hometown UCF in the past, but most do not give the Knights a second thought. They move along to what they think might be bigger and better things away from their roots, their parents, whatever it might be, to try something new.

It’s something that is difficult for the coaching staff at UCF, almost to the point where the Knights’ staff is sometimes reluctant to offer Orlando players.

Davis doesn’t give them that feeling. He said he has thought often about going on to play for the hometown Knights, and that dream could be moving closer to a reality. He also has offers from Appalachian State, UConn, FIU, FAU, Georgia Southern, Purdue, Rutgers, Utah State and Western Michigan.

UCF coaches do not have a lot of scholarships to give during this 2014 recruiting period — NCAA scholarship limitations will have the Knights down to about 12 this year — so they aren’t just offering anyone. Once Allen let UCF assistant Sean Beckton know Davis was serious about the Knights, it was much easier for UCF to pull the trigger.

“I’ve thought about it a lot because I want to stay around Florida and around my parents and little brother,” Davis said. “If I went [to UCF] I’d still have that home feeling instead of going off to a different school and having to adapt to the surroundings. Here I would always have that feeling of home and not be nervous about things.”

Davis also said that watching UCF quarterback Blake Bortles rise to his status as the Knights starter from his Oviedo beginnings helps him realize big things can come from his Oviedo roots.

“I texted him to tell him about it and he texted back that he already knew and said congrats,” Davis said. “He’s a good guy. Sometimes when he gets done with working out I’ll text him to see if he wants to go throw and we end up working out together. I talked to him at the game on Friday. He comes around a lot. It’s pretty cool.”

He said seeing Bortles accomplish what he has at UCF gives him extra incentive.

“It’s a good feeling knowing that if I went to UCF, good things could happen to me too,” Davis said. “He was good [at Oviedo] and now he’s even better at UCF. It shows they are building up that kind of player. If I go to UCF, I know I’ll be a better player and hopefully be able to do what Blake is doing but not as a quarterback … as a receiver.”

Friday’s game was what might have helped Coach Beckton pull the trigger on Davis. He was at his best in front of more than 20 recruiters — including Beckton — from around the country. His ability to scramble-and-throw as a quarterback was impressive, but his speed and cutting ability on the run proved his elusiveness.

Davis threw a touchdown pass early in the Lions’ spring game against Lake Mary, and then later took a snap in the shotgun and headed straight up the middle, using his speed to get outside and his agility to cut back inside on a 70-yard TD run.

“It felt good. At the beginning of the game I was kind of nervous with all of the scouts there, but at the same time I was pumped up,” Davis said. “I was just hoping to show what I can do and I think I did that.”

He even looked as if he might have gained a step from last year.

“I think I did get a little faster. What held me back last year was that knee brace I was wearing,” Davis said of a precautionary brace he wore last year after he hyper-extended his knee prior to his junior year. He’s been timed at just under 4.5 seconds in the 40-yard dash. “Over the offseason and this spring I’ve been working on my legs and my knee and getting faster without the brace.